101 Things To Do This Summer
As much as your kids will tell you they can't wait for summer, the words "I’m bored," inevitably cross their lips – sometimes sooner than you think! While children do enjoy the freedom that comes with the summer months, they still like to have a little structure to their fun.
The following list of activities will help your family take full advantage of summer and help spark your creativity to make the summer all that it should be! Kids can choose any activity they are interested in and complete them in any order they like (your children will probably enjoy checking them off as they complete them). Some items require parental permission (such as adopting a pet) but others are suitable for kids to complete on their own. Some can even be done with the entire family!
Take a moment to review the list, visit the websites, and see which activities best suit your family. With these 101 things to do, you may just escape the “I’m bored” doldrums this summer!
1
Make a scrapbook of everything you do this summer
The Basics of Scrapbooking
42explore.com/scrapbk.htm
2
Have a picnic
Planning a Picnic
www.recipeamerica.com/picnic.htm
3
Write a letter to your best friend
English Works! Writing Letters
depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/letter/writingletters.html
4
Visit another country
Lonely Planet Destination Guides
www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/
5
Go to a ballgame
Major League Baseball Team Schedules
mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/schedule/index.jsp
6
Get a job (parent permission)
Teens 4 Hire
www.teens4hire.org/
7
Become a photographer
BetterPhoto for Kids and Teens
www.betterphoto.com/photography-for-kids.asp
8
Make dinner for your family
Do-It-Yourself Dinner Party Project (PDF)
www.reynoldskitchens.com/ReynoldsKitchens/KitchenConnection/special/dinner_party/DinnerParty.pdf
9
Compare a book to a movie
Compare and Contrast Essay (PDF) www.csudh.edu/CLASS/services/studyskills/english/webpageworksheets/comparecontrastessay.htm
10
Write a poem
30 Days of Poetry
www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm
11
Learn about fireworks
How Stuff Works: Fireworks
people.howstuffworks.com/fireworks.htm
12
Bake some cookies
Science of Cookies
www.bakingandbakingscience.com/cookies.htm
13
Take a boat ride
Boat Safe Kids!
www.boatsafe.com/kids/index.htm
14
Sketch a picture of your house from the outside
Perspective Drawing
www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_1.htm
15
Go to camp
Virtual Summer Camp
www.homeschoollearning.com/summer/summer.shtml
16
Visit a farm
4-H Virtual Farms
www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/virtualfarm/main.html
17
Take a walk and record the sounds
Listening to Nature
www.museumca.org/naturalsounds/
18
Make your own soccer camp
Soccer Drills, Skills, Rules, and Tips
www.soccerhelp.com/
19
Keep a journal of what you do during the Summer
Summer Journal Writing Prompts
www.astoria.fulton.k12.il.us/JuniorHigh/JrHiEnglish/summerhelp/journal%20prompts.html
20
Cut up an old greeting card picture and make a puzzle
(parent help)
How to make your own jigsaw puzzle
tn.essortment.com/howtomakeyour_rgzx.htm
21
Start a band
Make Music! Start a Band
www.mustcreate.org/kid_home/kids3_1.shtml
22
Make a new kind of sandwich
Who Cooked That Up? – The Sandwich
members.cox.net/jjschnebel/sandwich.html
23
Blow up balloons, put notes inside and hand them
out to friends
Message in a Balloon
www.nmhct.nhs.uk/pharmacy/nmha-activities.html
24
Go backpacking
The Beginning Backpacker
www.backpacking.net/beginner.html
25
Go outside and find 10 different kinds of flowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
www.wildflower2.org/
26
Create a web site
Lissa Explains HTML for Kids
www.lissaexplains.com/
27
Go camping
Go Camping America Kids Pages
www.gocampingamerica.com/kidspages/
28
Invent a new dance
Elements of Dance
artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2338/
29
Help an elderly person with house or yard work
(parent permission)
20 Great Reasons to Volunteer
www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resources/tipstricks.jsp
30
Visit the zoo
National Zoo Animal Web cams
nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/default.cfm
31
Learn a foreign language
Free Online Language Courses
www.word2word.com/coursead.html
32
Make an obstacle course in your back yard
How To Set Up An Obstacle Course
www.ehow.com/how_3113_set-obstacle-course.html
33
Make a treasure hunt
The Ultimate Treasure Hunt
www.allthatstuff.net/treasurehunt.htm
34
Read a story to someone
Read Aloud Tips
www.myscschools.com/tracks/parents/readtips.htm
35
Have a winter theme party
Children’s Winter Theme Party Ideas
www.partyshelf.com/Childrens_Winter_Parties.htm
36
Recycle bottles and donate the money to a local charity
The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide
www.obviously.com/recycle/
37
Clean up a nature trail
Trail/Campground Maintenance
www.volunteer.gov/gov/resultsZ.cfm?myPosition=trail&myTx=Trail/Campground%20Maintenance
38
Build a tree house
The Tree House Guide
www.thetreehouseguide.com/
39
Create a new world
World Building
teenwriting.about.com/library/weekly/aa071602a.htm
40
Set up a lemonade stand
Lemonade Stand Game
www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/
41
Learn or teach a new sport with someone
Sports Illustrated for Kids
www.sikids.com
42
Attend a concert
Instruments of the Orchestra
www.sfskids.org/templates/instorchframe.asp?pageid=3
43
Have a family game night
What Game Should We Play?
www.hasbro.com/familygamenight/pl/page.games/dn/default.cfm
44
Make a movie
Movie-Making for Kids
www.town4kids.com/town4kids/kids/digitalmedia/moviemaking/movie_main.htm
45
Make a collage from magazine words and pictures
Collage
pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/collage.html
46
Create a terrarium
How to Make a Terrarium
www.ehow.com/how_9374_make-terrarium.html
47
Go canoeing
US Kayak / Canoe Disciplines
www.usack.org/disciplines/disciplines.asp
48
Discover a new favorite author or book series
Children’s Literature Web Guide
www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/
49
Go to a museum
Museums on the Web
curry.edschool.virginia.edu/it/projects/Museums/Teacher_Guide/Hotlist
50
Make a fire plan
Home Fire Safety
www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/flash.shtm
51
Make up bubble solution and have a contest
Casey Carle's "Secret" Bubble Solutions
www.bubblemania.com/faq/solution.html
52
Find a pen-pal (parent permission)
Pen Pal Directories
www.stonesoup.com/main2/penpal.html
53
Plant something
Gardens for Beginners
www.geocities.com/mastergardener2k/
54
Visit a tourist spot near your home
Tourist Information Directory
www.touristinformationdirectory.com/
55
Host a yard sale
How to Plan a Yard Sale
www.ehow.com/how_137461_yard-garage-sale.html
56
Build a sandcastle
Sandcastle Tools
www.sandcastlecentral.com/toolpages/
57
Donate some of the toys and clothes you no longer use
How To Donate Toys
www.ehow.com/how_10124_donate-toys-children.html
58
Research your family tree
Family Tree Online
www.familytree-online.com/
59
Fly a kite
Professor Kite and the Secret of Kites
www.gombergkites.com/howgen.html
60
Invent your own board game
Design Your Own Board Game
la.essortment.com/boardgamedesig_rxcu.htm
61
Use a compass or GPS to map your neighborhood
Mapping your Neighborhood
www.dnr.state.md.us/education/growfromhere/LESSON8/LESSON8.HTM
62
Build a time capsule
Making Time Capsules
dlis.dos.state.fl.us/barm/preservation/conservation/time/
63
Act in a play
So You Want to Put On a Play?
www.writewords.org.uk/articles/theatre1.asp
64
Throw a cultural heritage block party
Block Party Basics
www.canadianliving.com/CanadianLiving/client/en/Food/
DetailNewsPrint.asp?idNews=230226
65
Make a bird feeder
Plans for Building Bird Feeders
birding.about.com/od/buildfeeders/
66
Organize a bike safety clinic
Bicycle Safety Command Center
www.state.il.us/kids/isp/bikes/
67
Spend time with your grandparents
10 Great Activities
www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson136.shtml
68
Attend a first aid class
Emergency First Aid Chart (PDF)
www.ihsdesmoines.org/documents/Patient%20Education/emergency_aid_guide.pdf
69
Dig for fossils
Dinosaur Dig
www.sdnhm.org/kids/fossils/
70
Write a song
Notes on Songwriting
www.robinfrederick.com/write.html
71
Tie-dye some t-shirts
How to Tie-Dye
iaia.essortment.com/tiedyedyefa_rmel.htm
72
Take a dog for a walk
Tips for a Better Walk with Your Dog
rubyglen.com/pets/dogwalk.htm
73
Have a paper airplane contest
Paper Airplane Contest Rules
www.frankenmuth.k12.mi.us/fhs/science/PA.html
74
Go without TV for a day
TV Turn off Network
www.tvturnoff.org/
75
Sign up at your local library for their Summer
Reading Program
Summer Reading and Learning
www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/
summerreading.htm
76
Learn some new outdoor games
Games Kids Play
www.gameskidsplay.net/
77
Make something from recyclables
Crafts from Recycled Products
www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm
78
Share your favorite movie with a friend
Movie Mom
movies.yahoo.com/mv/moviemom/
79
Make home made ice cream
Kitchen Theater Science in a Scoop
www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmag/bk_issue/1996/julaug/dept4.htm
80
Jump on a trampoline
Trampoline Safety Rules
www.outdoorfunstore.com/trampoline-safety.asp
81
Get a magazine subscription (parent permission)
Magazine Listing
www.magsonthenet.com/chilmag.html
82
Organize a scavenger hunt
Outdoor Scavenger Hunts
www.lovetheoutdoors.com/camping/kids/scavengerhunt.htm
83
Go swimming
Video Clips of the Swimming Strokes
wellness.lattc.cc.ca.us/real/strokes.html
84
Paint a portrait of your best friend
Draw Your Friend
www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/sparkers/friend_portrait/portrait_friend.html
85
Start a collection
How to Start a Collection
www.ehow.com/how_10563_start-collection.html
86
Write a fairy tale
Fractured Fairy Tales and Fables
teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/fractured_fairy.htm
87
Travel in time
Odyssey Online
carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/MidElem_Home.html
88
Stargaze and track the moon phases
Astronomy for Kids
www.dustbunny.com/afk/index.html
89
Learn how to sew
Learn to Sew
www.sewing.org/enthusiast/html/e_learntosew.html
90
Visit a National Park
National Park Service Guide
www.nps.gov/parks.html
91
Rent a video of a ballet
Easy to Read Profiles of the Histories of Ballets
classicalmusic.about.com/od/historyofballet/
92
Roast marshmallows
How to Roast a Marshmallow
www.ehow.com/how_1164_roast-marshmallow.html
93
Watch the birds
Tips on Getting Started with Bird Watching
www.birdwatching.com/tips/kids_birding.html
94
Arrange a bouquet of flowers
Virtual Ikebana
web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ikebana/virtual-ikebana.html
95
Learn to blog (parents permission)
How Blogs Work
https://websitebuilders.com/
96
Re-decorate your room
Decorating Gallery
www.bhg.com/bhg/decoratinggallery/
97
Learn to play chess
Chess is Fun
www.princeton.edu/~jedwards/cif/intro.html
98
Adopt a pet (parent permission)
ASPCA Adoption Tips
www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_tips
99
Keep your brain going
Brain Teasers
www.brainconnection.com/teasers/
100
Teach someone to use email
How eMail Works
https://websitebuilders.com/how-to/
101
Create your own holiday
A Month With No Holidays? Make Up Your Own!
www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson018.shtml
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This article originally appeared in Homeschool.com's excellent eNewsletter, which is available for free at www.Homeschool.com/subscribe
Originally published July 06, 2005.
